A large manufacturing company observes that to increase its workforce from 100 to 110 employees, it must raise its offered hourly wage from $15 to $16. To then expand from 200 to 210 employees, it finds it must increase the wage from $18 to $20. Which statement best explains the economic reason why a larger wage increase was necessary for the second expansion?

If every potential employee in a specific labor market had the exact same reservation wage, the reservation wage curve for firms hiring in that market would be a horizontal line.

The Cost of Workforce Expansion

Analyzing a Tech Startup's Hiring Strategy

Strategic Implications of a Heterogeneous Labor Pool

Each scenario below describes a situation related to a firm's hiring process or a potential employee's job search. Match each scenario to the economic concept it best illustrates.

A company is looking to hire several new employees and will gradually increase its wage offer to attract more candidates. Based on the descriptions below, arrange the potential employees in the order they are most likely to be hired, starting with the individual who would likely accept the lowest wage offer and ending with the one who would require the highest.

A regional government enacts a new policy that substantially increases the financial support and benefits provided to unemployed individuals. What is the most likely impact of this policy on the reservation wage curve faced by a typical firm operating in that region?

Explaining Individual Differences in Minimum Acceptable Wages

A company observes that to expand its workforce, it must offer progressively higher wages. For example, the 101st employee requires a higher wage offer than the 100th employee. This is because the 101st employee likely has a different, and in this case higher, individual __________, which reflects their unique valuation of non-work time and outside options.

Relationship Between Offered Wage and the Quantity of Labor Supplied to a Firm

Increasing Output Requires Higher Employment and Wages